Shuffleboard cue



Sept. 13, 1955 H. A. MANTZ SHUFFLEBOARD CUE Filed Jan. 5, 1954 IN VEN TOR.

HAFKULD A MANTZ BY MQJ ATTDHNEY United States Patent SHUFFLEBOARD CUE Harold A. Mautz, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application January 5, 1954, Serial No. 402,337

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-129) This invention relates generally to game cues and in particular to an improved shuflieboard cue.

In shufileboard the cue is used to propel a disk or puck over an appropriately marked court. The court is often marked off on a suitably sized strip of concrete.

This abrasive surface of the court, in time, produces a wearing away of the bearing surfaces of the cue, causing it to become unbalanced and inaccurate and otherwise unsuitable for use. This defect in the cue cannot be cured by using hard, abrasion resisting materials at the points where the cue contacts the game court since the rules of the game forbid the use of metal on parts of the cue which contact the court. The present invention meets this difiiculty by means of a construction which afiords convenient replacement of the parts functioning as the bearing surfaces for the cue on the game court.

Among shufileboard players, as might be expected, various schools of thought have developed as to the proper positioning of the one with relation to the disk or puck as the stroke is made. In general there are two points of view, one holding that the one should bear only on the disk, not contacting the game court, the other preferring to contact the disk with the cue as the lower portion of the cue slides over, and in contact with, the game court. The present invention provides a one which may be used by either group of devotees of the game by a simple manual alteration of certain portions of the cue.

Further, the handle of the cue, in the form of a rod or tube, is customarily several feet in length. This feature of the cue makes it singularly awkward to transport by auto, send by the mail service or otherwise transport. The present invention provides a means for altering the cue handle to put it into easily transportable form.

An object of the present invention is to provide a shufileboard cue in which the portions bearing on the game court are easily and conveniently replaceable.

A further object is to provide a shuflieboard cue in which by a simple, manual operation, the cue can be made to bear entirely on the disk or puck, or can be made to contact the game court as the disk is propelled over the court.

A further object is to provide a shuflieboard cue in which the handle may be shortened to facilitate transporting.

In the accompanying drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a side view of the cue, partly in section, in position in relation to the disk, with the parts arranged so that the cue does not contact the game court.

Figure 2 is a top view of the cue, partly in section.

Figure 3 is a partial side view of the cue, similar to Figure 1 but with the parts arranged so that the cue contacts the game court.

Referring initially to Figures 1 and 2, the complete cue comprises an elongated tubular handle formed of the telescoping tubes 10 and 11 made of any suitable material such as aluminum. The outer tube has afiixed thereto a rubber cap member 12. A thumbscrew 14 extends through clearance holes in both the outer tube 10 and the inner tube 11, and is threaded into a member 15 which is fixedly positioned, by any suitable means within the tube 11. Additional clearance hole 13 (Figure 2) is provided in tube 10 adjacent its outer end. It will be apparent that the screw 14 may be removed, outer tube 10 pushed inwardly until its clearance hole 13 is in register with the member 15; screw 14 may then be reinserted in the newly registered holes and threaded into member 15; the handle will then be rigidly held in retracted position.

The cue handle is secured, by any suitable means, such as pressing, into the socket 17 of the cue head. The cue head is generally fork shaped, having the central, handle-receiving socket 17 and two extending arms 18 and 19.

The extremity of each of the arms is formed into tubular pieces 20 and 21 having their central axes generally perpendicular to the plane of the cue arms 18 and 19. As may best be seen in Figure 2, and'referring particularly to the piece 21, it being understood that piece 20 is in all respects identical, a cylindrical bearing member or insert 23 (having a counterpart 22 in piece 20), which may be formed of nylon, or other suitable abrasion-resisting material, extends through piece 21 and is positioned and held therein by a screw 24. Screw 24 passes through a clearance hole in piece 21 and is threaded into a registering hole in the insert 23. Opposite the last mentioned clearance hole in piece 21 is a matching hole 25 into which freely extends a small rod or wire 26. Rod 26 extends across the space between arms 18 and 19, fitting into a corresponding hole in piece 20.

It will be apparent that with rod 26 in place, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the rod 26 will overlie the disk or puck 27, and the lower end of insert 23, and its counterpart on arm 18 will not be in contact with the game court, the puck 27 receiving its propelling force at the points 30 and 31 (Figure 2) where it is contacted by the outer surfaces of tubular pieces 20 and 21.

Referring again to Figure 2, it may be seen that upon removal of screw 24, insert 23 may be readily removed for replacement. Also, rod 26 may be removed by first removing insert 23, and sliding rod 26 out through the resulting diametrically opposite openings in piece 21 (opening 25 and the clearance for screw 24). Insert 23 may then be replaced and fastened by reinserting screw 24.

With rod 26 thus removed, the cue will then take a position with respect to the puck as shown in Figure 3. The arms 18 and 19 will be positioned lower with relation to the puck as compared to their position in Figure 1, and the lower, rounded portions of inserts 22 and 23 Will contact the game court as the puck 27 receives its impetus from the cue.

It will thus be apparent that the shuflieboard one above described has a particular utility in its adaptability for use by those preferring to retain the cue out of contact with the game court while sliding the puck, or by those preferring to permit the cue to contact the game court, this adaptability being achieved by a simple arrangement of parts which additionally provide for easy removal of the bearing inserts for replacement.

It will be understood that the invention herein described may be modified over that disclosed and the invention is to be limited only as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cue for propelling a game disk over a game court comprising an elongated handle and a cue head secured thereto, said cue head having a generally fork-shaped body with two extending arms, an elongated member detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms and adapted to span the distance therebetween, bearing members detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms, said bearing members extending generally normal to the plane of said arms and adapted to contact the game court when said elongated member is detached, said elongated member being adapted, when attached, to rest upon the upper face of the game disk thereby retaining said bearing members out of contact with the game court.

2. A cue for propelling a game disk over a game court comprising an elongated handle and a cue head mounted thereon, said cue head having a generally fork-shaped body with two extending arms, an elongated member detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms and adapted to span the distance therebetween, nonmetal bearing members detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms at points on the axis formed by said elongated member, said bearing members extending generally normal to the plane of said arms and adapted to contact the game court when said elongated member is detached, said elongated member being adapted, when attached, to rest upon the upper face the game disk thereby retaining said bearing members out of contact with the game court, said outermost extremities of the arms being adapted to engage said game disk whether said elongated member is attached or detached.

3. A cue for propelling a game disk. over a game court comprising an elongated handle and a cue head mounted thereon, said one head having a generally forkshaped body with two extending arms, an elongated member detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms and adapted to span the distance therebetween, non-metal bearing posts detachably secured to the outermost extremities of said arms at points on the axis formed by said elongated member, said bearing posts extending generally normal to the plane of said arms, said elongated member being detachable from the outermost extremities of said arms only after said bearing posts have been detached.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,207,718 Cassidy July 16, 1940 2,239,391 Krause Apr. 22, 1941 2,379,572 Gibson July 3, 1945 2,432,570 Gorsuch Dec. 16, 1947 2,567,313 Bailey Sept. 11, 1951 2,659,087 Skaggs Nov. 17, 1953 2,680,024 Benjamin June 1, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 539,348 Great Britain Sept. 5, 1941 

